C
Chad Harris
I figure that since millions of Windows 7 installations on the CPP have been
made, not to mention tap build s and tech beta builds, that it is
appropriate to ask this question since
a) It involves a former Vista on a dual boot
b) MSFT has seen fit to put only one NNTP public group up for Win 7 and it
is an Italian one and I don't speak Italian or even drive a Ferrari or
Lamborghini or Maserati in Englishd
c) Darrell Gorter who has this stuff in his blood is kind enough to frequent
the setup group and share his skills.
___________________________________
I have dual booted and triple booted windows OS's many times including
combos of XP/Vista and lately Vista and Windows 7 with never a problem. I
always follow the rule that you are best off if you install the older OS
first with respect to Windows.
On both boxes I've had Win Vista and Win 7. As usual they showed the dual
boot on the black and white screen looking like this:
http://i44.tinypic.com/34i4kkh.jpg
On one of my boxes, a notebook, I decided I would replace my Vista boot with
a Windows 7 boot, and would then have a dual boot with Windows 7 on each
partition, so I could do some comparing with applications. These were both
64 bit Windows 7s.
..
I did not have enough room on the partition where Vista was (coexisting with
Windows 7). I had about 7 GB of free space, but for some reason Windows 7
wanted 11+GB on that partition.
I could not find away to make that kind of room possible, and diskmanagement
(diskmgmt.msc) would not let me add space (ghosted) nor would it even let me
format the Vista partition when I was on the other Windows 7 boot. So I
used g-parted, a pretty efficient Gnu partition manager which can do a
number of things that Vista and Win 7 Disk Management don't do, including
add space, subtract space, and format.
I tried to add space to the partition and after running and looking fine, at
the last second it balked and said there was an error and it didn't get the
job done. One tip I know about in using G-Parted Live Disk successfully, is
that you a) sometimes need to defrag first and also run chkdsk (I favor
using the R switch) so I did those. Another trick is (and this is quirky
because they don't tell you in the FAQs or anywhere else, is that you have
to go to the lower corner of the partition box and extend it out near the
width of your desktop, or it the apply button simply won't work. It also is
quirky to a non Linux user because of the terminology you don't understand,
and the gui box keeps disappearing while you're trying to work and you need
the lights out to see it well. But it does the job Windows won't do.
After saving what I wanted to save, since it would not add the space I
needed, I formatted the Vista partition. It formatted in 3 literal seconds
after I selected Format to NTFS on its right click context, and I installed
Windows 7 without a hitch.
HOWEVER, after installing Windows 7 on the partition formerly occupied by
Vista, the dual boot screen no longer shows Windows 7 partition (or boot
#1). I went to msconfig and it's not there on the boot tab as I know it
should be My latest Win 7 install is alone there listed as default.
It is: [Windows 7 (C:\Windows): Current OS; Default OS] on the msconfig
boot tab. The other partition would normally be listed there of course in a
dual boot, but since it's being hidden from me it's not showing up on the
msconfig boot tab.
If I go to my box where Vista and Win 7 are dual booted, they are both
listed there of course and that's been the case over the years with scores
of dual boots and some triple boots.
I can access all the material from that no longer available listed first Win
7 boot (and it's considerable and important to me), but I still want to get
it back as a dual booting option. I can simply navigate to the file path of
the original boot's desktop or wherever else I want--with the exception of
Win Live Mail and Outlook on that boot, which I tried to import but could
not, and I saved all the mail on another partition along with the docs and
the pics. I run all my music on the non-affected box.
So question #1 is:
How can I get this original Win 7 boot back? I was surprised because dual
booting has been terribly easy and convenient over the past few years.
I know that on many forums for years Easy BCD
http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1
and Vista Boot Pro
http://www.vistabootpro.org/
have been popular in these situations but I'd like to avoid having to use
them since I never have, but maybe I can't.
I'd really like to get this done with Windows tools.
Question #2 is:
The other problem is interesting. I've used Startup Repair not only to fix
no o boot Vistas and no boot Windows 7 but I ran into a road block.
I know now Win 7 allows you to access it without a DVD which is a good
thinge since OEMs and MSFT have traditionally refused to ship one with rare
exceptions with OEM box purchases.
I've used Startup Repair a few times when Win 7 won't boot for me rarely
after using G-Parted aLive to reduce partition size to get non-allocated
space to then add onto another partition because the partition is hidden
although most of the time I haven't had to.
I also have had great success with the bootrec switches when Startup Repair
won't work. But this time I was thrown a curve. I was asked for the
Homegroup password. I was surprised because I had not set any other
password. When I in stalled Win 7 on my 2nd box, in order to network the
two boxes in Win 7 setup it asked for the Homegroup password I used to
connect the two partitions on the first box and it networked them in setup
which is a nice touch for Win 7.
That wasn't a problem because I memorized it. It automatically supplied the
user name on the top of the pull down which was a choice of Homegroup $ or
the name I had given the Windows 7 computer. It didn't 'take the correct
password for either choice. I don't think this would have helped the
origi'nal above problem, hstowever if I run into it again if I need startup
repair (it wouldn't let me access the other repair choices either including
the command prompt, I'd like to know how to solvve problem #2.
By the way, Disk Management shows both partitions just as before I formatted
Vista and put Win 7 on the Vista partition, and like I say all the material
from Win 7 is accessable using the filepath for it but clearly the boot is
being hidden from me on startup and I want to unhide it.
In order to compare different things on both boots, I need to access the
other one "in Windows" instead of just via the file path.
I made this point to emphasize the boot of the original Win 7 is not gone at
all, it's just being *hidden* from me on boot.
Question #3 is:
At msconfig on the boot tab I notice there are checkboxs for OS boot
information, and no GUI boot e among others. Does anyone know what these do,
or where there is a good explanation for them?
I would appreciate any help for my problems very much. And if Darrell
Gorter[MSFT] happens to see this, I'd really appreciate your help. I can't
use any of the repair tools to fix this boot, because
#1 The boot is being hidden from me at startup including when I get the F8
Windows Advanced Options Menu
#2 I am running into that confounding request for my Homegroup password
which I am putting in correctly and it won't let me access repairing the Win
7 partition that is working beautifully and that I am typing this message
from. What's up with a password request to access startup repair when the
Homegroup password is only requested if you're networking boxes on setup of
a second Win 7 box, or if you're doing something to change the Homegroup
settings.
Thanks very much for any help,
CH
made, not to mention tap build s and tech beta builds, that it is
appropriate to ask this question since
a) It involves a former Vista on a dual boot
b) MSFT has seen fit to put only one NNTP public group up for Win 7 and it
is an Italian one and I don't speak Italian or even drive a Ferrari or
Lamborghini or Maserati in Englishd
c) Darrell Gorter who has this stuff in his blood is kind enough to frequent
the setup group and share his skills.
___________________________________
I have dual booted and triple booted windows OS's many times including
combos of XP/Vista and lately Vista and Windows 7 with never a problem. I
always follow the rule that you are best off if you install the older OS
first with respect to Windows.
On both boxes I've had Win Vista and Win 7. As usual they showed the dual
boot on the black and white screen looking like this:
http://i44.tinypic.com/34i4kkh.jpg
On one of my boxes, a notebook, I decided I would replace my Vista boot with
a Windows 7 boot, and would then have a dual boot with Windows 7 on each
partition, so I could do some comparing with applications. These were both
64 bit Windows 7s.
..
I did not have enough room on the partition where Vista was (coexisting with
Windows 7). I had about 7 GB of free space, but for some reason Windows 7
wanted 11+GB on that partition.
I could not find away to make that kind of room possible, and diskmanagement
(diskmgmt.msc) would not let me add space (ghosted) nor would it even let me
format the Vista partition when I was on the other Windows 7 boot. So I
used g-parted, a pretty efficient Gnu partition manager which can do a
number of things that Vista and Win 7 Disk Management don't do, including
add space, subtract space, and format.
I tried to add space to the partition and after running and looking fine, at
the last second it balked and said there was an error and it didn't get the
job done. One tip I know about in using G-Parted Live Disk successfully, is
that you a) sometimes need to defrag first and also run chkdsk (I favor
using the R switch) so I did those. Another trick is (and this is quirky
because they don't tell you in the FAQs or anywhere else, is that you have
to go to the lower corner of the partition box and extend it out near the
width of your desktop, or it the apply button simply won't work. It also is
quirky to a non Linux user because of the terminology you don't understand,
and the gui box keeps disappearing while you're trying to work and you need
the lights out to see it well. But it does the job Windows won't do.
After saving what I wanted to save, since it would not add the space I
needed, I formatted the Vista partition. It formatted in 3 literal seconds
after I selected Format to NTFS on its right click context, and I installed
Windows 7 without a hitch.
HOWEVER, after installing Windows 7 on the partition formerly occupied by
Vista, the dual boot screen no longer shows Windows 7 partition (or boot
#1). I went to msconfig and it's not there on the boot tab as I know it
should be My latest Win 7 install is alone there listed as default.
It is: [Windows 7 (C:\Windows): Current OS; Default OS] on the msconfig
boot tab. The other partition would normally be listed there of course in a
dual boot, but since it's being hidden from me it's not showing up on the
msconfig boot tab.
If I go to my box where Vista and Win 7 are dual booted, they are both
listed there of course and that's been the case over the years with scores
of dual boots and some triple boots.
I can access all the material from that no longer available listed first Win
7 boot (and it's considerable and important to me), but I still want to get
it back as a dual booting option. I can simply navigate to the file path of
the original boot's desktop or wherever else I want--with the exception of
Win Live Mail and Outlook on that boot, which I tried to import but could
not, and I saved all the mail on another partition along with the docs and
the pics. I run all my music on the non-affected box.
So question #1 is:
How can I get this original Win 7 boot back? I was surprised because dual
booting has been terribly easy and convenient over the past few years.
I know that on many forums for years Easy BCD
http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1
and Vista Boot Pro
http://www.vistabootpro.org/
have been popular in these situations but I'd like to avoid having to use
them since I never have, but maybe I can't.
I'd really like to get this done with Windows tools.
Question #2 is:
The other problem is interesting. I've used Startup Repair not only to fix
no o boot Vistas and no boot Windows 7 but I ran into a road block.
I know now Win 7 allows you to access it without a DVD which is a good
thinge since OEMs and MSFT have traditionally refused to ship one with rare
exceptions with OEM box purchases.
I've used Startup Repair a few times when Win 7 won't boot for me rarely
after using G-Parted aLive to reduce partition size to get non-allocated
space to then add onto another partition because the partition is hidden
although most of the time I haven't had to.
I also have had great success with the bootrec switches when Startup Repair
won't work. But this time I was thrown a curve. I was asked for the
Homegroup password. I was surprised because I had not set any other
password. When I in stalled Win 7 on my 2nd box, in order to network the
two boxes in Win 7 setup it asked for the Homegroup password I used to
connect the two partitions on the first box and it networked them in setup
which is a nice touch for Win 7.
That wasn't a problem because I memorized it. It automatically supplied the
user name on the top of the pull down which was a choice of Homegroup $ or
the name I had given the Windows 7 computer. It didn't 'take the correct
password for either choice. I don't think this would have helped the
origi'nal above problem, hstowever if I run into it again if I need startup
repair (it wouldn't let me access the other repair choices either including
the command prompt, I'd like to know how to solvve problem #2.
By the way, Disk Management shows both partitions just as before I formatted
Vista and put Win 7 on the Vista partition, and like I say all the material
from Win 7 is accessable using the filepath for it but clearly the boot is
being hidden from me on startup and I want to unhide it.
In order to compare different things on both boots, I need to access the
other one "in Windows" instead of just via the file path.
I made this point to emphasize the boot of the original Win 7 is not gone at
all, it's just being *hidden* from me on boot.
Question #3 is:
At msconfig on the boot tab I notice there are checkboxs for OS boot
information, and no GUI boot e among others. Does anyone know what these do,
or where there is a good explanation for them?
I would appreciate any help for my problems very much. And if Darrell
Gorter[MSFT] happens to see this, I'd really appreciate your help. I can't
use any of the repair tools to fix this boot, because
#1 The boot is being hidden from me at startup including when I get the F8
Windows Advanced Options Menu
#2 I am running into that confounding request for my Homegroup password
which I am putting in correctly and it won't let me access repairing the Win
7 partition that is working beautifully and that I am typing this message
from. What's up with a password request to access startup repair when the
Homegroup password is only requested if you're networking boxes on setup of
a second Win 7 box, or if you're doing something to change the Homegroup
settings.
Thanks very much for any help,
CH